Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
뒷북치다 dwit-buk-chida
To react to breaking news, scandals, or streaming events long after the online community has already moved on.
What does 뒷북치다 mean?
뒷북치다 (dwit-buk-chida) means: To react to breaking news, scandals, or streaming events long after the online community has already moved on.
Speakers reach for this when someone reacts to breaking news, scandals, or live events long after the community has already moved on. It frequently appears in online discussions and peer interactions to point out delayed reactions, combining with phrases that mark tardiness such as 뒤늦게 or 나중에. In dialogue exchanges, it appears when speakers criticize others for fussing or panicking after the fact.
In online communities and real-time news contexts, this often reads as playful or sharp teasing toward peers or public figures who are out of the loop.
In online communities and real-time news contexts, this often reads as playful or sharp teasing toward peers or public figures who are out of the loop.
Other sides of 뒷북치다
◆ Workplace Project Post-Mortems — Speakers use this expression when someone brings up an obvious risk or alternative solution after an incident has already passed. It turns up in situations involving failed recovery efforts or botched outcomes. It pairs with adverbs like 뒤늦게, and combines with verbs describing retrospective actions or attempts at damage control, such as 수습하다.
In workplace post-mortems, this can feel defensive or critical, highlighting that an intervention came far too late to be useful.
In workplace post-mortems, this can feel defensive or critical, highlighting that an intervention came far too late to be useful.
🎙️ 뒷북치다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [뒫뿍치다]로 소리나요 (경음화, 받침규칙). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 옆집 아주머니는 남들이 다 알고 있는 이야기를 늘 뒷북치며 말한다.
yeop-jip a-ju-meo-neun nam-deuri da al-go inneun i-yagi-reul neul dwit-buk-chimyeo mal-handa.
The neighbor always talks about things everyone already knows, bringing it up way too late.
💡 Shows someone bringing up stale news after everyone else has moved on. - 사고가 터진 후에 뒷북치며 수습해 봤자 소용없다.
sa-go-ga teo-jin hu-e dwit-buk-chimyeo su-seup-hae buat-ja so-yong-eop-da.
It's no use trying to fix things belatedly after an accident has already happened.
💡 Shows a belated reaction after an incident has already concluded. - 진작 잘할 일이지 이제 와서 뒷북치며 통곡을 해 봤자 소용이 없어.
jin-jak jal-hal ir-iji i-je wa-seo dwit-buk-chimyeo tong-gog-eul hae buat-ja so-yong-i eop-seo.
You should have done well when you had the chance; there's no use wailing and making a fuss about it now.
💡 Shows one speaker rebuking another for a late and useless reaction.
Related words in Social Situations
어스름 eo-seu-reum억지 eok-ji어색하다 eosaekhada어영부영 Eoyeong-buyeong가임기 ga-im-gi